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On November 7 and 8, TV channels in the Arab world gave prominence to Israeli President Isaac Herzog's decision to entrust Gadi Eisenkot with the responsibility of forming the next government.
TV channels focused on the challenges facing Aizenkot and the decisive role of Arab parties in deciding the country's political future.
Arab TV channels gave wide coverage to this decision of President Herzog.
Major Arab media outlets highlighted that Eizenkot had the support of 67 members of the Israeli parliament.
However, the focus of his reporting on 8 November was on the complex challenges facing the former military chief in building a coalition and the prospect of an unprecedented minority government dependent on the support of Arab parties.
Reports have presented the coming weeks as a crucial test of whether Israel's fragmented opposition can rise above ideological differences and take advantage of the role of Arab parties in forming the country's next government.
Qatar's Al Jazeera presented this development from the perspective of the influence of Arab parties in the coalition process.
The channel told that Aizencott has 28 days to form an alliance. This period can be extended by two more weeks.
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In an interview given to the channel, Joint List leader Ahmed Tibi openly appealed to Aizencott to form a minority government that would have external support from Arab parties. He argued that its main objective should be to remove the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from power.
Ahmed Tibi described the challenge facing Aizencott as difficult, but said it required "political courage".
Arab parties support Aizencott
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Al Arabiya, which is financially backed by Saudi Arabia, placed greater emphasis on signals from Arab political parties that they could help form an anti-Netanyahu coalition.
The channel reported that the Mansour Abbas-led United Arab List was ready to support the Aisenkot-led government even without a formal coalition agreement.
According to the report, Abbas had talks with Aizencott and opposition leader Yair Lapid. The party intended to work in accordance with the Arab voters' desire for political change.
The channel also included Israeli affairs analyst Ismat Mansour. He said that forming a minority government is the most practical way for Aisenkot.
Mansour said that such a government can be formed from those parties which are united on the issue of removing Netanyahu from power. For this, Arab and some religious parties will be expected to abstain in those votes whose purpose is to stop the formation of the government or to topple it.
He stressed the need to quickly form an alliance. Also warned that if there is a delay, Netanyahu can fail this process through political means or security related developments.
Meanwhile, UAE-based Sky News Arabia examined the different coalition options facing Aizencott.
The channel highlighted the tensions within the anti-Netanyahu camp over cooperation with Arab parties. The channel said that opposition leader Avigdor Liberman is against any government that depends on the votes of Arab parties.
The channel also discussed other options. These included the possibilities of compromise with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties or the formation of a broader 'national unity government' including some factions of Netanyahu's camp.
Differences between Eisencott and Netanyahu
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Pro-Iran Arab media outlets also reported on this development.
Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV reported on 7 November that Eizenkot accused Netanyahu of "creating division in Israeli society".
Eisencott's statement comes after Netanyahu's repeated comments regarding Israel's Arab community. Netanyahu said that an Eizenkot-led unity government would be supported by Arab parties that would "destroy Israel from within."
Iran's Al-Alam TV reported on 8 November that Eiseenkot had "completely rejected" the possibility of a coalition with Netanyahu.
The channel also said that America has distanced itself from Netanyahu and has announced to stop the annual aid of about $ 4 billion to Israel.
The channel called it "not just an economic stance, but a broader shift in US policy that reflects the rising costs of supporting Israel".
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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